Hey Guys!!
Just got back from Singapore on Friday Night with a 42" TV (LG) - LN5710 from singapore.
I was very reluctant to get a large tv from Singapore, and was a bit anxious being a first timer and haggling with customs. Was pleasantly surprised.
Bought TV from Mustafa, as Niranjan said he only stocks Sony and Samsung.
I had three TVs in considerations, the Sony W674 (995 SGD), the LG-LM5700 (935 SGD) and Samsung UA40F5000. ((39 SGD).
All three were of the "Smart" variety.
The LG was being promoted with an IPS panel, while the other two were normal LCD panel tvs.
I Realised, in india, may not use many of the "Smart" features of the Tvs as the broadband speeds are not as great as in other countries. My existing 32" was also "Smart" but had not used many of the features for over 2 years. Also realised, along with the "Smart" TVs, i also need to be "Smart" to operate them.. and that upgrade is somewhat difficult
.
The sales guy pointed me to the LN-5100 which was the same thing as LN5700 minus the smart features with a price of 769 SGD.
Was also very keen on a philips model 3D TV with host of features and "International Warranty" for 870 SGD. Wife liked the LG better, and we decided to go for it.
Was travelling Tiger, and was wondering if they'd charge extra for "oversize" items. Surprising they didnt. Apparently 42" is the cut off. bigger tvs are charged.
Lucky for me the weight i was carrying came to 19.8kgs along with tv and didnt have to pay anything. Saw a lot many people bringing back 32" tvs with them and a few 42" and bigger as well.
Landed in Bangalore at 12am picked up baggage and headed to the red channel. Was anxious as 32" tvs are exempt practically from duty. They seem to fall well under the 35K limit. but everything bigger was pushed to the red channel. Was gratified to find people getting 46" and 55" full smart/3D top end tvs in the line ahead as well.
The customs was fairly simple really. They saw the bill, the saw the tv and calculated the rate as per exisiting exchange rate.
I was i suppose lucky that one of the senior / asst comissioner was on his rounds at the time, and so no "bribes" or other drama was being asked by the supervising customs officers.
Also noticed that most people with Samsung / Sony Tvs were getting pretty high customs charges. I was hearing amounts of 12000 - 30000 for Tvs from 42" to 55" but only of Samsung or Sony.
The customs officer i was assigned, goofed up the charges for one guy with a 55" tv, and further gave back the guys passport before he made payment . The guy smartly took his passport, and exited without paying. The Senior guy, came down harshly on this customs officer, and went out himself to catch the "smart" chap, and bring him back.
The customs officer was visibly shaken, and when my turn came, he saw my bill and calculated the Price at Rs. 35,107/- .
He was in a quandary , as i was only over the limit by 100/-, and i was lucky that my tv model was a) not a samsung/sony and b) didnot appear in the price list of tvs they had for LG.
However, he said, he "has" to charge me customs, as i was over the acceptable norm, or the senior will come back and chew him out again, so he sincerely requested me to pay Rs. 800/- as duty and go.
Didnt see the point of haggling for Rs. 800/- and paid the amount and got it through.
At Rs. 35,900/- the TV is still a great buy
..
Wife is still in Singapore, so planning to get the Pioneer BD150 model. Its available in mustafa for 140 SGD!!
